Israeli strikes used 28 planes, fired 70 missiles – Russia

An Israeli F-15 maneuvers after post air refueling by a KC-135 Stratotanker during Red Flag 04-3 on Aug. 25, 2004 over the Nevada Test and Training Ranges. 100 aircraft and over 2,500 participants are involved in this Red Flag. A Red Flag is a realistic combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States and its allies. Flag 04-3 participants include; U.S. Air Force, Marine, Army, and Navy assets, as well as coalition forces from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, the Royal Air Force, Israel, Singapore and Nato. Conducted on the vast bombing and gunnery ranges at Nellis AFB, NV., Red Flag is one of a series of advanced training programs administered by the Air Warfare Center and Nellis, through the 414th Combat Training Squadron. Photo by: Tech. Sgt. Kevin Gruenwald (Released)

Israel’s strikes on Syria saw 28 planes take part in raids with a total of around 70 missiles fired, Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday.

“28 Israeli F-15 and F-16 aircraft were used in the attack, which released around 60 air-to-ground missiles over various parts of Syria. Israel also fired more than 10 tactical ground-to-ground missiles,” the ministry said in a statement, quoted by Interfax news agency.

Russia said Syria’s air defence systems shot down more than half of the missiles, while the extent of the damage was still being assessed.

“The locations of Iranian armed groups and also the positions of the Syrian army’s air defences in the area around Damascus and in the south of Syria were attacked,” the ministry said.

Israel carried out the raids after it said around 20 rockets were fired from Syria at its forces in the occupied Golan Heights overnight.

It blamed the rocket fire on Iran’s Al-Quds force, adding that Israel’s anti-missile system intercepted four of the projectiles while the rest did not land in its territory.

Iran’s presence in Syria

On Thursday Russian deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov called for “restraint on all sides”, adding that Moscow was “concerned” at the development.

The strikes came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has provided massive military and diplomatic backing to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s seven-year civil war.

At the meeting Putin also expressed “deep concern” over US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from a key 2015 Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday, a decision Netanyahu supported.

On Wednesday the Russian leader called the situation in the Middle East “unfortunately very acute”.

Netanyahu had told Putin that “it is the right of every state, certainly the right of Israel, to take the necessary steps in order to protect itself from (Iranian) aggression”, his office said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to Iran’s presence in Syria.